Professional development and rural science teachers’ expanding social networks
A longitudinal analysis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22430346 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Syahrul Amin (0000-0002-0548-832X, Mitchell Institute), Rebecca L Sansom (0000-0001-9411-6343, Mitchell Institute, corresponding author), Tracy Poulsen (Nebo School District) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-26 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-12 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Professional Development in Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1941-5257 • E-ISSN: 1941-5265 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/19415257.2026.2650714 |
| OpenAlex | W7153895643 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 66 |
This study examined how participation in the Technology-Mediated Lesson Study (TMLS), a hybrid professional development programme, shaped collaboration, advice-seeking, and friendship networks among rural chemistry and biology teachers in a Western US state over three years. Using Stochastic Actor-Oriented Models (SAOMs) in RSiena, the study analysed how structural, individual, and programme-level factors influenced network formation and change. The networks remained sparse, with geographic distance strongly constraining interactions. Teachers formed ties through reciprocity and triadic closure, and advice-seeking and friendship networks showed steady growth. TMLS participation significantly increased the likelihood of forming new ties, including long-distance connections that bridged regional boundaries. Participants became central actors in both professional and personal networks, demonstrating that hybrid programmes can foster multiplex connections that promote and sustain reform efforts. These findings highlight the potential of well-designed professional development to reduce isolation, expand super-organisational engagement, and support collaborative communities for rural teachers. Programmes that combine structured collaboration with opportunities for informal peer relationships can enhance professional growth and build more sustainable networks in geographically dispersed settings.
Career development · Continuing professional development · Faculty Development · Professional development · Professional studies · Rural development · Science education · Education Systems and Policy · Indigenous and Place-Based Education · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies
Social Network Analysis
District Policy and Teachers’ Social Networks
Teacher Quality and Student Achievement
Teacher collaboration
Opportunities for Professional Learning in Mathematics Teacher Workgroup Conversations
Relationships in reform
Beyond dyadic interdependence
Effective Teacher Professional Development
The potential of online technologies in meeting PLD needs of rural teachers
Ties for the phases
School-based collaboration as a learning context for teachers
Comparing quality and engagement in face‐to‐face and online teacher professional development
Network Structure and Knowledge Transfer
The Sage Handbook of Social Network Analysis
Introduction to stochastic actor-based models for network dynamics
The Relationship of Age to Personal Network Size, Relational Multiplexity, and Proximity to Alters in the Western United States
The symbolic representation of community in social isolation and loneliness among older people
The multiplexity of professional learning communities
What Makes Professional Development Effective? Strategies That Foster Curriculum Implementation
Instructional Advice and Information Providing and Receiving Behavior in Elementary Schools
What Makes Professional Development Effective? Results From a National Sample of Teachers
Teacher Collaboration in Instructional Teams and Student Achievement
It’s the Quality Not the Quantity of Ties That Matters
Dynamic Networks and Behavior
Treatment of non-response in longitudinal network studies
The Statistical Evaluation of Social Network Dynamics
Improving Impact Studies of Teachers' Professional Development
Goodness of fit for stochastic actor-oriented models
Social Capital and the Diffusion of Innovations Within Organizations
Birds of a Feather
The Rural Problem
Revisiting the Rural-Urban Contrast
| Highly cited | No |
|---|